Tennessee Charter Schools - tncharterschools.org

February 3, 2012: Interim President Portia Shields hopes to guide more children to careers in math and science. " src="http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20120203&Category=NEWS04&ArtNo=302020097&Ref=AR&Profile=2288&MaxW=640&Border=0&TSU-wants-open-an-campus-elementary-charter-school" /> Tennessee State University wants to launch an elementary school on its campus in order to funnel more minority children into math and science careers with the help of college student mentors. TSU was one of 13 groups that fil...

February 3, 2012: Thirteen organizations have signaled they intend to apply this spring to open new charter schools in Metro, a sign of the booming times for publicly financed, privately led charters in Nashville. The deadline was Wednesday to submit letters of intent to seek charter approval for the 2012 charter-review cycle. Charter groups that submitted letters aren’t obligated to submit formal applications in April but the letters are a prerequisite to move forward. Formal charter applications must be delivered to the district’s central office by April 2. “Revie...

January 25, 2012: The Knox County school board twice denied the charter school application of the New Consortium of Law and Business. The school, which would serve grades six through 12 with an emphasis on developing students' legal and business skills, appealed the decision to the state. In his recommendation to the board, which will meet and vote on Friday, Gary Nixon said what he found compelling was the charter school did not appear to know the demographics of the students or school district. "I believe it is important for a sponsor to be well acquainted with ...

January 25, 2012: The Tennessee Charter School Incubator said Wednesday it has recruited a veteran education leader to help it set up a network of charter schools in 2014. Todd Dickson is coming to Nashville to be a senior fellow at the incubator for two years. During that time, he will create a charter management organization of eight to 10 college-preparatory schools. Officials said Dickson plans to submit a charter application to Metro Nashville Pu...

January 20, 2012: A standing-room-only crowd of 150-plus parents gathered last night at the Cohn Adult Learning Center to learn about a new charter school that could open in Nashville. The City Paper's Joey Garrison has the details: Representatives of Great Hearts Academies, a charter network that manages 12 publicly financed, privately operated charters in Arizona, delivered a 45-minute presentation Wednesday at the C...

January 20, 2012: Great Hearts Academies wants to develop a classical, liberal arts charter school initially serving grades K-9, then growing a grade per year until it’s K-12. It would be the group’s first charter outside Arizona, where Great Hearts Academies is based. Pending approval of the first effort, organizers said they could apply for five to 10 other schools serving grades K-12 in Nashville. The organization manages 12 schools with more tha...

January 18, 2012: The leader of a charter school company from out of state asked Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam in Memphis last week if there is anything he and other charter school leaders in the room should know about Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools. Haslam laughed along with others from the area in the room at the New Consortium School of Law and Business on the north side of Court Square. Then he began explaining the ongoing consolidation of the county’s two public school systems. “There’s a whole lot of politics and community feeling aroun...

January 16, 2012: FAST FACTS: Mid-South School Is Being Called An Education Champion Memphis College Preparatory Has Young Students Focusing On College School Executive Director Wanted To Give Back To Memphis (Memphis, TN/01/13/12) At the Memphis College Preparatory in the Greenlaw community, the 125 kindergartners and first graders at this charter school are not just students, but they are referred to as scholars with their eyes already focused on college. Michael Whaley is the executive director. He says Memphi...